Here goes.. work very much in progress, and in newcastle we're a bit behind still got apple blossem hehe.

This is the view down the garden, it's a fair slope, and very exposed on the top of the valley.

I've dug out beds inbetween the buttresses as the back of the house, this is a north west wall, so pretty shady, until about 4/5pm that is, you can see the famous lime heuchera under the bleeding hearts. It's fairly damp so also have geraniums and astilbes in there.

My pride and joy hehe

Small veg/herb plot, would like another couple of beds.. next job..

This is the south end of the garden so full sun all day, i've gone for a hot border, so have icelandic poppies, sunflowers, crocosmia, knopifia, to name but a few. As well as some winter colour with a couple of dogwoods, that can cope with the exposed nature until stuff gets established, such as my full length cotoniester hedge to the left side.

Generally i'm going for true cottage garden, i have flowers mixed in with fruit like blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, etc. I've planted various fruit trees, cherries, plums, pears and apples. And i'm trying to establish some nice climbers for the pergoda.

Oh and i applogise for the grass.. the lawnmower conked out half way through doing it yesterday!

Thanks for the kind words, yeah the wind is the one downside, but to get those views you have to be at the top of the hill!

Hopefully once the hedges get established it'll help a bit, we did get a bit of a hammering this winter with the easterly winds, normally they are westerly here. Even a couple of pyracatha got badly scorched, but at least they are coming back.

I use the obelisk for peas and sweet peas mixed together in the veg plot. Looked really nice last year, but the peas are just 6 inches tall still at the moment, only planted them out from the cold frames last week.

It's my first garden, we moved here from a flat in the city centre so i've loved my first year here, despite the bad weather, i had a good crop of carrots, parsnips, salads and plenty of mint for mohitos in the arbor

I'm lucky to have a great garden centre nearby which i think always helps alot, good quality plants and good advice all the way.

Oh, Andy, how exciting and what great joy is ahead of you. All that grass could go and then you would not have to worry about any old lawnmower. The view is superb. You have room for prairie planting, a wildlife pond and bog plants, tough trees like holly and ivy to help the holly blue butterfly. You could be self sufficient in fruit and veg. very soon. And just think of the lovely loam those stacks of turf would make as you stack them up. This threat is getting more and more exciting. I do am thrilled the picture glitch has been sorted.

Singy- i only moved in here 3 months ago and discovered this clematis languishing at the foot of a fence in grass and sitting in a hole full of water. I was hoping it was a montana but as time went on I realised it wasn't. Think it was possibly planted last year and still had the little 'plug' it had been grown in- would never have survived where it was. If you even have a small plant - ie a previous year's cutting - pot it on and let it grow a bit and with a bit of luck you'll get a flower this year. Assuming it's a summer/autumn flowering variety of course!

Andy- Garden's looking good! I got 2 clematis in the bargain corner of GC at weekend - they had a Dr. Ruppel as well so nearly bought 3! got Etoile Violette and Daniel Deronda. Planted Mr. Deronda last night and he looks very happy- as am I.